Raising defence spending will be a hard sell. But politicians must not shy away from this fight, and innovative "defence bonds" may help to win it. John Healey’s resignation as Defence Secretary today may well be the fatal blow to Keir Starmer’s premiership, leaving Andy Burnham to deliver the last rites. Everything that has happened … Continue reading Three quick points on the economics of defence spending
Tag: Politics
Politicians should not play at being ‘tech bros’ with taxpayers’ money
The British Business Bank's much-hyped £25 million (yes, “million”) investment in Kraken is a perfect example of spin over substance. The Business Secretary, Peter Kyle, has long been on a mission. In January, speaking at the World Economic Forum in Davos, he promised to “bet big” and “pick winners” when taking direct government stakes in growing businesses. … Continue reading Politicians should not play at being ‘tech bros’ with taxpayers’ money
Weekly wrap: is the ‘net zero’ economy really worth £105 billion?
How the numbers in the CBI Economics report are being spun to mislead, and why Italy and Spain are not good benchmarks for the performance of ‘Brexit Britain’… Welcome to the third weekly wrap of key points from my social media posts. These wraps will typically include a mix of comments on the UK and … Continue reading Weekly wrap: is the ‘net zero’ economy really worth £105 billion?
Weekly wrap: more heat than light from the politicians
Politics is heating up for the summer, but there were at least a few more reasons to hope that underlying inflation pressures may be starting to cool. This is the second weekly wrap of the key points from my social media posts on the UK economy, on the markets, and occasionally on the politics too. … Continue reading Weekly wrap: more heat than light from the politicians
Plain-speaking Economics 